Nottingham Forest v Aston Villa: Line-ups, stats and preview

While Nottingham Forest’s draw at Porto was a respectable result in the Europa League quarter-finals on Thursday, head coach Vitor Pereira drew extra satisfaction because of the familiar quandary the Portuguese had faced over his starting side.

Pereira has had to balance European football with potentially crucial fixtures in Forest’s attempt to avoid relegation, and they return to league action three points above the drop zone with a significant goal superiority following a 3-0 win at rivals Tottenham in their last top-flight outing on March 22.

“If our situation is a safe, comfortable situation in the league, [in Europe] maybe we can risk a bit more,” said Pereira, via the Nottingham Post.

“Imagine [if against Porto] we [had] played with the same team who played Tottenham… we travel and then on Sunday I put the same players in to face Aston Villa.

“I am 100 per cent sure we could face the first half, and [only] maybe we could face but the second half, if you understand [my point].”

Visitors Aston Villa are fourth and firmly on course for Champions League qualification via their league position.

Ezri Konsa headed the opener and Ollie Watkins struck twice after the break as the Villans won in Italy for the first time in their history on Thursday, winning their Europa League quarter-final first leg and ending Bologna’s club-record 11-match unbeaten run in the competition.

“They are not getting the points they deserve,” Emery said of Forest, adding that Villa’s 2-0 defeat to bottom side Wolves on February 27 often a pertinent reminder to stay focused for his players .

“We must be intelligent and we must manage different matches. It’s a really fantastic season we are having, but still with work to do.

“We are ready to fight for the Champions League positions until the last day of the season.”

Nottingham Forest v Aston Villa team news

Forest’s Chris Wood was the leading English scorer in last season’s Premier League with 20 goals and the New Zealand striker started at Porto after six months out with a knee injury.

Goalkeeper John Victor and defenders Willy Boly and Nicolo Savona remain out with knee problems. Centre-back Jair Cunha is a doubt with an ankle issue.

Midfielder Elliot Anderson is likely to return following a European suspension.

Winger Jadon Sancho (shoulder) and midfielder Boubacar Kamara (knee) are sidelined for Villa.

Influential midfielder Youri Tielemans made his first start since returning from an ankle injury against Bologna, providing assists from corners for Konsa and Watkins’ second.

Villa won four of the 11 games the Belgium international missed.

Nottingham Forest v Aston Villa predicted line-ups

Nottingham Forest starting XI: Matz Sels, Neco Williams, Murillo, Ibrahim Sangare, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Elliot Anderson, Morgan Gibbs-White, Igor Jesus, Omari Hutchinson, Nikola Milenkovic, Ola Aina

Aston Villa starting XI: Emiliano Martinez, Andres Garcia, Ezri Konsa, Tyrone Mings, Lucas Digne, John McGinn, Amadou Onana, Morgan Rogers, Youri Tielemans, Douglas Luiz, Tammy Abraham

Where to watch Forest v Villa: TV channel, live online streams

Kick-off on Sunday is at 14:00 BST (09:00 ET / 06:00 PT), with live coverage in the UK on Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Ultra.

Via Now TV, Sky Sports costs £14.99 for a day membership, £28 a month for a 12-month membership or £34.99 a month with no contract.

Sky Sports memberships include access to all 12 live Sky Sports channels and Sky Sports+, which offers live streams and a dedicated channel.

Nottingham Forest v Aston Villa stats

• Forest could achieve three straight home league wins against Villa between 1977 and 1979
• They are winless in seven home league games (D4 L3), failing to score in their last three and last going longer without a home league goal in February 2018 in the Championship (5 games)
• The only occasion on which they have waited longer for a home goal in the top flight was in April 1911 (4)
• Only Brentford’s Igor Thiago (1,608) has applied more high-intensity pressures in the Premier League this season than Anderson (1,527), with 74.1% of Anderson’s pressures during the campaign high-intensity
• Anderson has the second-highest high intensity rate of any player to record 1,500+ pressures in the division, behind only Brighton & Hove Albion’s Diego Gomez (77.3%)
• Villa could complete a league double over Forest for the first time since 2017/18 and for the first time in the Premier League since 1992/93
• They have lost three of their 17 Premier League games against Forest (W9 D5). Among sides they’ve faced at least 15 times in the competition, only against Coventry (16.7%) do they have a lower loss rate than against Forest (17.6%)
• The Villans have lost their last two away games in the Premier League, last losing more in a row between November and December 2024 (5), a run including a 2-1 defeat to Forest
• Of Villa’s 23 Premier League games in which John McGinn has started this season, 14 have been wins (61%), representing the highest ratio of any player to start at least 20 league games for the club this season
• When McGinn hasn’t started, their win rate drops to 25% (2/8) in 2025/26

Nottingham Forest v Aston Villa prediction

Forest have lost three of their last five home matches by a goal in between two 0-0 draws. Buoyed by that win in Bologna, Villa should have the superior quality to earn a fourth consecutive win in all competitions.

Prediction: Forest 0-1 Villa